


Bones

by minutiae



Series: Selachimorpha [3]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Eskel is a Whale shark, Eskel is big., M/M, Mentioned Vesemir (The Witcher), Mermaid Jaskier, Vesemir is a greenland shark, implied sexytimes, jaskel, very big
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:49:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26743912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minutiae/pseuds/minutiae
Summary: Even if he's a mershark, Beefskel is the truth.
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher), Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Selachimorpha [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946740
Comments: 25
Kudos: 191





	Bones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Squeakerblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squeakerblue/gifts), [rawrkinjd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rawrkinjd/gifts).



The lagoon was bright and deep, home to his little pack for untold years. Vesemir laid claim to this area centuries earlier, before the hunters became brave, when the monsters roamed the deep salt sea in greater size and number. The hunters found them once, led through the dangerous reefs and shoals surrounding their home by a traitor. They were responsible for the deaths of many pups, and Vesemir was left with just three sons in his small pack. Geralt, a great white shark mer, who traveled far and wide, a sense of honor driving him onward. Lambert was a bull shark mer, sociable and troublesome. He was curious and clever, always seeking what new skill to learn, what new adventures could be had. He made Vesemir feel every century on his old fins. And then there was Eskel.    
  
The big whale shark mer was kind and gentle to all who knew him. He was sweet and patient, caring for and tending to the deep, vibrant coral reefs that surrounded their home. Vesemir was older, slowing more as the years passed, and quite happy to stick to the coolest areas, sometimes delving into the deep dropoff nearby to snooze in the vast cold depths that his kind, greenland shark mers, tended to prefer.    
  
It was only after the attacks, and Eskel’s last big growth spurt, that the big whale shark mer took over defense of the lagoon. Vesemir moved slowly, but was incredibly strong. This change had led to regular incursions by other mersharks who thought their defenses weakened. 

  
Eskel was enormous, twice the size of Lambert, and a full third bigger than Vesemir and Geralt. His size alone wasn’t enough of a deterrent in the first few decades. The bones of mers and mersharks who thought they would challenge the normally placid witcher were deliberately scattered around the outskirts of their lagoon, both marking the territory lines and serving as a reminder to any potential aggressors the number who came before, and their fates.    
  
Despite the sheer power behind his enormous frame Eskel was at heart a gentle giant. He kept the corals surrounding their home in pristine condition, delighting in all the tiny creatures who came to live in them. It was on his rounds, slowly circling the outer limits of their home that they caught sight of him.    
  
Jaskier was nervous, fluttering back and forth between the smooth, slow, sinuous travel of Lambert and Aiden, nearly bolting at the pile of mer bones, a skull balanced on the shaft of a trident that had been shoved deep into the ocean floor. It was the boneyard of horror stories that mer parents told their young to scare them into avoiding the deepest dark of the ocean. The threat of witchers, of the bioluminescence of their eyes in the dark, the demons of the deep.    
  
Lambert caught the mer by the arm before he bolted.    
  
“You mean no harm?” His question was leveled in a mocking tone, but the fire in his eyes was proof enough that he would have no hesitation in eliminating a threat. Jaskier shook his head, rapidly. Aiden slithered around him, coming up behind Lambert all sharp teeth and a bright smile.    
  
“Well that’s very good, because Big Brother is here now.”    
  
Jaskier turned, expecting the demon witcher of the horror stories he’d been fed. He’d already seen the horror and violence, as the two small shark mers waited as the enormous shadow slowly rose from the depths of the coral reef. He was huge- easily twice the size of the two mers beside him, broad and wide and utterly stunning.    
  
His eyes glowed, in the darkness, bringing into stark relief the scars that wrought half of his face, twisting the corner of one mouth into a perpetual smirk. The slight glint of one sharp tooth glinted through a corner of lip torn. He moved slowly, aware that his sheer size was intimidating enough.   
  
“Lambert, why are you bringing little fish to our pond?”    
  
His voice was the deep rumble of an earthquake, and Jaskier vibrated himself into speaking before he realized exactly what fell out of his mouth.    
  
“Oh, you’re  _ beautiful.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “Did you hit him on the head?” Eskel’s face crinkled into a smile, the suspicion washed away in a moment of amusement.   
  
Aiden’s bright laugh bounced through the lagoon, startling the small fish, as the two mersharks took off towards the small cave that Lambert had claimed as his own.    
  
“No! But Lamb saved him from being dinner for some hunters. We brought him to you, like we do every other broken little creature.”    
  
The bright blue mer flushed prettily as Eskel inspected him. The brilliant sapphire of his scales shimmered in the sunshine, with two beautiful golden stripes down each hip, the golden scales trailing up his sides and back. The feathered fins were the same deep blue, with the edges an even more brilliant gold.    
  
“Looks like you may have dislocated that arm. Let me see your back little fish, we’ll get you sorted.”   
  
Eskel turned, slowly and calmly, to find the stock of healing salves he kept in his cave. Normally the largest cave in a pack would go to the leader, but this one had been Eskel’s since Vesemir found him and brought him home. Everyone knew the size he’d grow into, and the depth of this one ensured his comfort. The little mer followed him fearlessly, allowing the huge shark mer to gently reset his arm, binding it tightly and covering the abrasions on his back with salve. A few damaged scales torn by the hunters needed to be removed, but he was pronounced well enough to leave.   
  
“Must I?”   
  
“Must you what, little fish?”   
  
“Jaskier. Must I leave? I must admit when I set off to explore, to find adventure I did not expect to find such a stunning example before me.” He ran a finger softly down the big witcher’s side, tracing the lateral ridges. “The sunlight, off your markings. You look like you’re covered in the stars.”    
  
Eskel hissed a breath through his teeth. “Little fish. Jaskier. You owe nothing for your help. You’re free to go.”   
  
“Are you asking me to stop, if this is what I want?” He pressed his hand flat, sliding his hand across the markings, his hand trailing along the witcher’s tail as he moved, twining his way around in the cave to surround the brightly colored little mer entirely.    
  
“Pretty little fish, you don’t want such a damaged shark as I am.”    
  
“I think I do. And I think,” Jaskier trailed a finger across a particularly vicious looking scar that started near the center of his chest and dragged out and around his side with the lightest of touches. “That you can tell me all the stories that go with the constellations of your body. Maybe tomorrow. I have plans for tonight.” With a wicked tilt to his smile, he slid his free hand into the big shark’s hair, and tipped his head back gently, waiting for his prey to make the first move, intent on devouring the sight before him. 


End file.
